During his visits to the Asmat region (Papua, New Guinea), Villevoye noticed that the Asmat adapt their clothing in an extraordinary way to their taste and requirements. T-shirts for example that look at first glance like rags, have been handled that way on purpose. Sleeves are ripped off, the shirt is pierced with a knife, and holes are made in it, strips tied to each other. The shirts thus become part of the individual personality of the wearer. Villevoye looked for these specially personalised T-shirts and photographed the people wearing them.They are on display in the Oceania hall. Based on the work of Villevoye, cultural anthropologist Gosewijn van Beek wrote an essay about the meaning of the Asmat’s clothing. The book, Red Calico, is available in the museum gift shop

The pictures at the market are great! I love taking pictures of older people, they pose really natural :D